Android Market App reviews now include permalinks and device details

Let's face it, while app reviews in the Android Market might be helpful to developers and potential customers for finding out some of the best and worst features of the current release of an app, they haven't been altogether too informative, and could be skewed to show the app as being worst/better than it really is. Old reviews can still weigh heavily on the user's choice, especially if those reviews mention glaring bugs that had been fixed in recent updates or that were only present on older Android phones. Also frustrating is when developers see a review with good feedback that they would like to save/share later, only for it to get lost in the thousands of other reviews for that same app - going back in to find it later is like trying to find a specific needle in a pile of other similarly formatted needles.

The web version (not on your devices yet) of Android Market has solved those two concerns with a simple and effective update. Users can now see the type of device that the reviewer was using the app on (such as the LG Optimus 2X in Juan's review above) and the version number of the app that they were reviewing (version 2.9, again, in the screenshot above).

On top of that, developers (and anyone for that matter) can now grab the permalink to individual reviews for sharing or reading later. To the right of every reviewer's nametag and device info you will see the universal symbol for "link". Click that icon and the page will reload with that review on top and a fresh URL that you can send anywhere.

In the future it would be nice to sort reviews by specific devices or app versions being used, rather than asking us to browse through or link them all individually (it would also be great if they reproduced this in the mobile app soon), but for now this update is a welcome change.

Holiday gift guide: What to get the fitness nut

With the holidays right around the corner, we're staring down the ugly double-barrel of gifts and the inevitable New Year's resolutions. Finding the right gifts for the fitness freak in your life can sometimes be a chore, but here at Android Central, we've got you covered.

And what about those folks who'll pledge to be more active and exercise more in the new year? Well, there's gifts for them on this list, too.

Join us after the break for the whole shakedown of what'll get yours (or their) blood pumping.

There are going to be a lot of disappointed people out there, not least anyone who's just bought or planning on buying a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. But, our guess is that more devices, especially the Nexus, won't be far behind. Meanwhile if you're fortunate enough to own one of these devices, salivate over the Android version screenshots after the break, and try to wait patiently for the next 9 days.

Financial Times finally arrives on Android, beta tag in tow

The Financial Times may have parted company with the iOS App Store, but they haven't given up on native applications completely as the financial news powerhouse brings their Android offering to the table.

First things first, if you own a shiny new Galaxy Nexus, hold off a moment as the beta available for download isn't yet compatible with Ice Cream Sandwich. If you're somewhere above Android 2.2 on phones and 3.1 for tablets then you're in luck, and it promises to automatically optimise for your device's screen size for the best user experience. Auto-downloads of the latest edition for offline reading are also along for the ride.

The app is free to download, but the FT does operate as a subscription service. The free registration allows access to eight articles per month, so it's at least possible to try it out without ponying up the cash first.

Recent reports that Verizon is blocking Google Wallet on our devices are false. Verizon does not block applications.

Google Wallet is different from other widely-available m-commerce services. Google Wallet does not simply access the operating system and basic hardware of our phones like thousands of other applications. Instead, in order to work as architected by Google, Google Wallet needs to be integrated into a new, secure and proprietary hardware element in our phones.

We are continuing our commercial discussions with Google on this issue.

Whether it's Verizon doing the blocking, as 9 to 5 Google's anonymous source reportedly said, or if it's just not allowing the app, or whatever -- or if it's the current deal with Sprint that's keeping Google Wallet off every other Nexus device -- it's still bad for Google Wallet in short term, not to mention disappointing for those who don't want to hack their phones. Will Google Wallet survive in the long term? Just have to see.

Our intrepid readers figured it out a little early this morning, but Google's just made it official: The Android Market has surpassed 10 billion downloads. And as you can see from the chart above, the numbers have skyrocketed over the past several months.

And the really good news: Google's not just promoting the same 10-cent apps for the next week and a half. Check back each day over the next 10 days for all new 10-cent apps. It's a great gift from the maker of the world's best damn mobile OS, that's for sure.

Google's 10-cent app sale part of 10 billion downloads promo

Looks like Google's taken the lid off of this 10-cent app thing. The Android Market's now promoting 10 days of offers -- top premium apps -- 10 cents per app. Dive into that Market page and you see the "10 billion promo" page. That 10 billion's got to refer to app downloads -- a milestone if we've ever heard one.

A slew of popular apps suddenly are 10 cents in the Android Market

Something interesting is going on in the Android Market this morning. A bunch of our favorite apps are suddenly going for a dime, with no real rhyme or reason for the discount. @dirkyd3rlc and @Pat_Huey on Twitter alerted us to SwiftKey and Minecraft on sale for 10 cents, and we've found others. (Update: And in the UK, the apps are going for 10p each, not 6p, which would be converted from 10 cents U.S. We definitely smell a trend here.)

There may be others. (Sing out in the comments if you spot any.) Can't tell if this is a glitch (which seems a tad unlikely), or some sort of coordinated effort. Regardless, might as well take advantage.

Facebook app apparently poised for a bit of a refresh

Looks like Android's Facebook app is getting ready for an update, according to some screen shots leaked to Engadget. Codenamed "Katana" (which was, for as long as we can remember, always been the code name for the app -- it's in the com.facebook.katana package name), navigation, menus and search are getting revamped, and check-ins may get their own standalone icon.

No word, exactly, on when it will drop, or how long it'll take the inevitable bugfix update to follow.

Pop quiz: List, in alphabetical order, all of the Google Nexus phones that officially have access to Google Wallet.

If you aswered the Sprint Nexus S 4G -- and only the Sprint Nexus S 4G -- you're exactly right. And it looks like it might stay that way for the time being. 9 to 5 Google, citing an unnamed source, reports that the Verizon Galaxy Nexus won't have access to Google Wallet, despite that sweet NFC chip tucked into the phone's battery.

And the kicker: Verizon is said to be the one keeping Google Wallet off its Galaxy Nexus. (Never mind that it's a Nexus phone, and remember that we're expecting a couple of Verizon-specific appliations preloaded. We called it Verizon's Nexus for a reason.) And the reason for no Google Wallet on the Galaxy Nexus, according to the anonymous source, is that it's a direct competitor to ISIS, another NFC standard backed by Verizon, along with manufacturers LG, HTC, Motorola, RIM, Samsung and Sony Ericsson.

Oh, and guess who else backs ISIS: AT&T and T-Mobile -- two U.S. carriers that have network-specific versions of the Samsung Nexus S in the United States, which, despite also having NFC capabilities, have no official build of Google Wallet. (Like with the Galaxy Nexus, you can hack Google Wallet on just fine, thank you very much.) Maybe that's just our tinfoil hat talking, but you can't deny that Google Wallet's only officially available on a single phone.

T-Mobile, Sprint, in internal documents, open up about their Carrier IQ use

In a pair of unreleased memos seen in the usual spy-shot fashion, Sprint and T-Mobile both have, at least internally, discussed the Carrier IQ saga with their employees.

The memos discuss the use of Carrier IQ as you'd expect -- as a metrics tool for improving network and device service, and both reiterate that Carrier IQ isn't being used to spy on text messages, phone calls and the like, backing up responses that Carrier IQ recently gave The Verge in an interview.

To wit:

T-Mobile: "T-Mobile does not use the tool to obtain the content of text, email or voice messages, or the specific destinations of customers' Internet activity. It is not used for marketing purposes. T-Mobile uses the Carrier IQ diagnostic tool to gather device data for effective troubleshooting and to increse the overall device and network performance for our customers.

Sprint: "Sprint uses the Carrier IQ data to only understand device performance on our network so we can identify when issues are occuring. ... Even with Carrier IQ, Sprint does not and cannot look at or record contents of messages, photos, videos, etc., nor do we sell or provide a direct feed of Carrier IQ data to anyone outside Sprint.

T-Mobile also details which of its current phones have Carrier IQ installed. You'll want to read the entire memos, which you can find at the source links below.

Tripit now available for the Kindle Fire

Tripit is one of the must have apps for frequent travelers. In fact, we recommended it in our Holiday Gift Guide: What to get the Frequent Traveler post. Great news for Kindle Fire owners as the travel app has now made it onto Amazon's Appstore for Android and is specifically designed for Amazon's tablet. (And the ad-free version is free today.)

If you're not familiar with TripIt, it is a free application that manages all of your travel needs. It makes a nice itinerary out of your trip so that you have it available only one-click away, offers sharing services so that you can let your loved ones know where and when you'll be travelling and much more.

Gravity Guy allows you to break the laws of physics, have fun while doing so

There are a lot of games out there that start life "online" that eventually make their way to mobile platforms due to their popularity. One of those games is Gravity Guy from the folks at Miniclip, where you get run around defying all the laws physics and gravity while being chased by Gravity Troops in a fast paced side scroller that I find similar to the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog.

With multiplayer mode for up to four players built-in and two play modes to choose from, if side scrolling action is your thing then Gravity Guy is worth a look. The graphics are pretty awesome and Miniclip was mindful enough ensure gameplay lag was minimal, keeping the fast gameplay on level it should be.

If you're looking to see some more of Gravity Guy before you download, jump on past the break where we have screenshots for you, as well as the download link should you decide to give it a go. Gravity Guy is offered in both a free ad-supported version as well as a paid version.

Gowalla confirms it's been purchased by Facebook, will allow you to export data

Check-in favorite Gowalla today confirmed reports that it'd been purchased by Facebook. It'll continue to operate through January, and the service will offer you an option to export your Gowalla data. It also stresses that Facebook is acquiring the service, not the user data Gowalla's collected over the past two years.

'Scrubs' to live on as an Android app, hits Market Dec. 14

The TV series "Scrubs" was killed off in 2010, but it's apparently being resurrected as an Android game. The usual cast of characters and forced jokes are there, and the developer's describing it thusly:

"Scrubs" is a hidden object game inspired by the TV series of the same name. As a young intern the player appears in the well-known "Sacred Heart" and meets all the familiar characters from this great sitcom. He will be involved in an intricate detective story and have to save the reputation of the hospital. Plenty of mini games will help you feel like a real doctor and operate with the medical tools such as scalpels, syringes etc.

"Scrubs" contains many riddles and puzzles, stylish black humor, dozens of awards and unusual twist for hidden object genre gameplay. At the start of every level a game location is generated, objects change their positions and unique level tasks are created. It means that even when users replay completed levels these locations will be new and unfamiliar. A great way to hugely increase the fun and replayability of the game.

Can't say we're waiting on pins and IV needles for this one. But if you're a "Scrubs" fan, look for it to hit the Market on Dec. 14.